bamboo

Meanings

Noun

  • A fast-growing grass of the Poaceae family, characterised by its woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem, all of which are in the Bambuseae (tribe) tribe.
  • The wood of the bamboo plant as a material for building, furniture, etc.
  • A stick, rod, pole, or cane of bamboo, especially one used for corporal punishment.
  • A didgeridoo.
  • A member of the British military or British East India Company who spent so much time in Indonesia, India, or Malaysia that they never went back home.

Adjective

  • Made of the wood of the bamboo.

Verb

  • To flog with a bamboo cane.
  • To paint (furniture, etc.) to give it the appearance of bamboo.
  • To penetrate sexually.

Origin

  • Borrowed from Dutch bamboe, from Portuguese bambu, from Malay bambu, from Kannada ಬಂಬು.

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.